Executive function profile of Chinese boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: different subtypes and comorbidity

Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2011 Mar;26(2):120-32. doi: 10.1093/arclin/acq101. Epub 2010 Dec 22.

Abstract

This study examined the executive function (EF) profile of Chinese boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using a large sample. Executive function performance within the ADHD subtypes and the effects of comorbidity were also investigated. Five hundred Chinese boys (375 with ADHD and 125 controls) aged 6-15 completed a battery of EF tests. Boys with all types of ADHD performed worse in all of the EF tests than age- and intelligence quotient-matched healthy controls. The boys with the inattention ADHD subtype and the combined subtype showed similar impairments across different EF tasks, whereas the boys with the hyperactive-impulsive ADHD subtype primarily displayed deficits in theory of mind and visual memory. Comorbid oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder had no additional influence on the EF characteristics of the boys with ADHD only, whereas comorbid learning disorder increased the severity of inhibition and shifting impairments.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Asian People / psychology*
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / complications
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / diagnosis
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology*
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / complications
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / psychology
  • Child
  • Conduct Disorder / complications
  • Conduct Disorder / psychology
  • Executive Function*
  • Humans
  • Intelligence Tests
  • Learning Disabilities / complications
  • Learning Disabilities / psychology
  • Male
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Psychomotor Performance